England newly revised!
by Riley Clearwater
Summary: Riley Phillips has just graduated from highschool, and is now embarking on her college career  in ENGLAND! The kicker? She befriends the last person on earth she ever expected to even get within ear shot of.
1. Chapter 1

This is an old fan-fic I created about 5 years ago...it's now about 22 chapters long I believe, however, very poorly written and without much research. I've just returned from a four month study abroad in England and couldn't stand the fact that my story was so far from the real thing...so here I am revising it, and reposting it as I go along. I hope loyal readers and newbies alike enjoy throughly! Comments are much appreciated!!

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Chapter One

"And now ladies and gentlemen, I give you with great pleasure the Class of 2005!" I scanned the sea of cheers for my parents' faces. After a couple of seconds, I spotted my mom's glasses reflecting the sunlight. I smiled at them and knew their returning smiles were filled with pride. They were proud that I was the Valedictorian of my class, proud that I completed high school, proud that I was successful. Most of all, I was proud of myself for doing it all.

"I can't believe we actually did it! We graduated Riley," my best friend Olivia said to me.

"I know," I replied, "Now on to college." We embraced as our parents strolled over to us. We were outside the front door of Pendleton High laughing and congratulating each other in the June sunlight. "So what are you doing for the summer, Olivia?" my mother asked.

"I was thinking of going to Spain, Mrs. Phillips. You know, to visit my ancestral country." We all laughed, remembering Olivia's fascination with Spain even though her family originated from Germany. "What are you going to be doing Riley?" Olivia's dad asked me.

"Actually, I'm not quite sure yet Mr. Hofstetter. I was thinking of visiting my grandma in New York, but I think my dad needs some help with his business." I looked to my dad to see if he would accept the assistance. He and my mother were looking at me with mischievous grins on their faces. "What?" I asked them.

"Well," my dad responded, "I would love the help, but your mother and I had another plan for you." With that my mom held out a plane ticket and my passport.

"What's this?" I posed the question aloud. Olivia and her parents wondering along with me by voicing things such as, "Is she coming with me to Spain, Mr. Phillips?" and "Grace! You're finally letting her travel alone?"

My mom giggled slightly and said, "It's a round trip plane ticket to England. Your father's business is paying for it. We're paying for your college classes at Oxford."

"WHAT!! Oh my gosh! Mom! Dad! Are you guys serious!?!?" I was practically bursting with excitement. I wanted to go to Oxford to study law and justice ever since I was ten.

"We are as serious as you are about studying law, Riley," my dad claimed with an air of happiness in his voice.

He is a lawyer for a big firm in Orange County. He's already had cases with celebrities such as Carson Daly, Carrot Top, and Pamela Anderson (whom by the way, my dad claims is quite nice). I always looked up to him and hoped that one day I could take on his business when he retires.

I pulled each of my parents into a tight hug and gave them plenty of kisses. "Thank you so much. I love you guys."

"We love you too, Riley," they both replied. I glanced at Olivia and saw that she was about to explode if we didn't talk about what just happened. I laughed and told my parents I would meet them back at the house. With one last hug and kiss to Mr. and Mrs. Hofstetter and more embraces with my parents, Olivia and I headed off to walk on the beach and boardwalk.

"Wow! I just can't believe it! You get to study law at Oxford! I'm so happy for you! You better send me lots of postcards and crap like that. You know how much I like the stamps," Olivia exclaimed as we walked in the surf and laughed at the people staring at our graduation gowns we still wore.

"Yeah, you were always weird like that." I ducked a punch thrown by Olivia and laughed. "I'm happy that you get to go back to your 'homeland' in Spain." We both had a good laugh at that joke. After we talked on the beach for an hour about what we'll do while we're over in Europe, Olivia asked, "So, can you come to my graduation party tonight?"

"Are you kidding?! I wouldn't miss it for the world!" And with that, we headed to Olivia's house to party the night away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"You'll call us when you get in to Heathrow?" my mom asked me for the fifth time that morning. We were waiting for my plane at Los Angeles International Airport. Surprisingly, I only had to put two suitcases in baggage. I used my backpack as my carry on. My collection of Cosmo magazines, the new Dan Brown novel, and a hundred hours of continuous music on my iPod would consume the ten hour trip.

"Do you have everything? Passport? Boarding Pass? Laptop? Umbrella? Underwear?" my mom was checking off a list.

"Mom! Shh, people can hear you!" I whispered desperately.

"Alright, alright. If you find that you're missing anything, just give us a call and we'll send it ASAP," she retaliated. I nodded just as my dad walked up to us.

"Well, they said you can start boarding in about five minutes," he informed us. My mother was still going over her list when an announcement came over the intercom, "We will now begin boarding Flight 987 to London at Gate K."

"Ok, that's me," I said with some hesitation in my voice. My mom was on the brink of tears while my dad comforted her.

"W-well, I'll- I mean, we'll m-miss you, s-sweetie," my mom sniffled. I hugged her and gave her a kiss on her tear-stained cheek. My dad pulled me into a tight hug and whispered in my ear, "Do your best hunny. I know you'll make us proud," then he said a little louder, "Love ya Riles. Be safe."

I kissed them both once more and gingerly made my way to the gate entrance. I gave the steward my plane ticket and with one last glance at my parents, walked through the gate and into the plane.

Once inside, a stewardess helped me find my seat in first class. My dad's company was paying for the plane ride and I was going to enjoy it for all it was worth. I settled myself at the window seat and placed my things on the chair next to me. The seat was quite comfy and judging by the television screens overhead, I could tell they were going to show a movie or two.

I took my Dan Brown book out and began to read. About fifteen minutes later, the captain came on the loudspeaker and gave the usual shpeal. Then a stewardess came around to help with take-off procedures. As the plane began to move slowly forward, I took one more glance at my home country. In the distance, I could make out the LA beaches in the sun drenched summer morning. I looked at the airport windows hoping to spot my parents waving, but I couldn't see into the tinted windows. I waved even though I couldn't see them.

"What are you waving at?" said a sarcastic voice behind me. I spun around to see a guy around my age with a ridiculous grin on his face. He had blond hair and green eyes. He wasn't exactly what I would call my type – he looked scrawny and pale, but boy! was he tall. "I said, what are you waving at?" he spoke with a British accent and looked somewhat familiar. The plane surged forward, forcing us into our seat backs.

Unable to fight the gravity pushing me into the seat, I continued facing forwards and answered him sheepishly, "I'm waving at my parents."

I heard him laugh a little while I was putting my headphones back on. I shook my head and continued to look out the window as the airport became smaller and smaller. About twenty minutes later, when the 'buckle your seatbelts' light went off, I unbuckled and pulled my feet up under me. While I was trying to get comfortable, I felt something bump me. I looked towards the aisle where it came from and saw the annoying guy – now seated next to me.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked. Geez, this guy was forward. I was starting to fear he'd be one of those annoying talker people who, no matter what you do, try to keep you in conversation the entire flight. Putting headphones on doesn't even stop these people. So I answered with the most sarcastic and annoyed voices I could summon, hoping he'd get the idea and leave me in peace.

"I don't suppose you're the Prince of England?"

"That's right. I didn't think yanks knew what the Prince of England looked like," he said in a matter of fact voice. I laughed it off knowing he was joking. I went back to reading my book until I heard a man behind my chair talking to the "Prince."

"Yes, but Your Highness, the Queen wants a word with you once you get back," the man said.

"I already told you Dash, I have a polo match at Eton."

"Shall I call Her Majesty and tell her of your delayed return?"

"Yes, that will be fine. Thank you, Dash."

I felt my face grow hot and I realized my arm was quite close to the Prince's. I quickly pulled it away and stuffed myself up against the window to give him space. I had no idea how to act around a member of the monarchy.

He looked over at me and began to laugh, "Now you believe me?"

"I-I'm s-sorry Sir- I mean, Your Majesty," the words tumbled out of my mouth haphazardly. He laughed again. It wasn't a ridiculing laugh, but a laugh at a good joke.

"I'm presuming you've never met an individual of nobility before, have you?" I shook my head and felt my face grow hotter. I covered it with my hands and tried to squish myself even further against the window.

"Am I making you uncomfortable? I can move," he sounded concerned. I looked past the prince to his assistant he called 'Dash'. He was shaking his head and I followed his lead.

Being the bold girl I am, I asked the Prince, "What am I supposed to do, or say for that matter?" At this, they both laughed.

"You may call me Will and we can talk like typical teenagers. You needn't suffocate yourself against that wall there," he said pointing out the fact that I wasn't leaving any space between the window and myself. "Now then, what is your name, Lady?"

"Lady?" I laughed causing a chain reaction to Will and his assistant, "My name's Riley."

"Riley. What an unusual name for a lady. A comrade of mine on my polo team is named Riley." And with that, we were talking eagerly and laughing heartily for the rest of the trip.

When we were getting off, Prince William asked me to come "observe" his polo match. I accepted since I couldn't go to Oxford yet. They allowed students in at the end of August. I was to stay in the Ritz in London until then, courtesy of my father's business.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three 

"Oy! Watch that ball!" Someone shouted from the pitch. I looked up to see a wooden ball flying towards me. I dashed to the side and scarcely missed being clocked in the side of the head.

An elderly man came over to me and asked, "Are you quite well? You looked as though you were in a daze just a moment ago. I thought you were going to be dubbed with a black eye for a jot there."

I turned to look at the rest of the crowd. They weren't staring at me, but at the field, even though play had stopped. I followed their eyes to a polo player galloping my way on his horse. It wasn't Will. He was in the middle of the field looking rather concerned.

When the mystery player reached me he said, "Did I gett you?" He was as proper as Will. He had light brown hair and ocean blue eyes. He was very good looking. He was tall, clean-shaven, faultless smile with dazzling white teeth and a perfect posture – well as good as expected when on horseback. "Oy! Will! I think my ball did strike her! Let's get her to the infirmary." I was knocked out of my trance.

"No! No, I'm fine, I'm alright. I wasn't hit and I refuse to go to the medic!" I replied forcefully.

"She wasn't hit, my Lord. She missed it by a millimeter, at best, but she's fine," said the elderly man. Will came galloping over and was off his horse in a second. The other rider was on his feet a moment after Will got down. They came towards me and I stepped back.

"Relax, Riley," said Will, "I only want to make certain you don't require some medical attention."

"Will, I'm fine," I said. After I voiced the Prince's name, the crowd gasped and the elderly man and the other polo player looked at each other in confusion. "Uh, I mean Your Highness, I'm fine." Will laughed at my confusion and embarrassment. His teammate laughed as well.

"I'm sure she's fine; although, rather shaken up" Will said to his polo friend. Then he said to me, "Well, given that you're able-bodied, this is my friend and cousin Lord of Worcestershire, Colin Jeffries." Lord Jeffries held out his hand and exclaimed, "But you may call me Colin." I was hesitant to take his hand.

"You're not gonna kiss my hand, are you?" I asked and he shook his head and laughed. I shook his hand and laughed myself. One of the horses neighed directing my attention back to the paused polo match.

"I hope I didn't screw up your game, Will," I said trying to direct the attention back to the match instead of on me.

"Oh! Let's go Colin. You're scheduled for a royal loss today," Will said to his cousin, laughing. I began to laugh when Colin replied, "You bloody hell will not! Let's go lads! Pick up the pace!" he was yelling at his team. The match continued and sure enough, as Will had promised, Colin's team lost. When they all shook hands, Will went off to talk to the press and Colin headed for me.

"What did you think?" he asked.

"You lost," I said and we both laughed.

"The pitch was too wet. This sport _is_ difficult," he said trying but failing to make a justified excuse.

"No, football, baseball, basketball- those are sports. This is just… croquet on horses," I replied.

"Well then, you're so sure of yourself, would you like to give it a go?"

"Ha! I was just kidding."

"I'm not, let's go. I'll show you how to do it." I nodded and followed him out onto the field a little reluctantly. Colin explained the rules, how to use the mallet, and then he asked me, "You do know how to ride a horse, right?"

I laughed and said, "Yea, my grandma owns a horse ranch in Texas." With that, he threw a helmet to me and hopped up on his horse. I fumbled with the straps of the helmet for a minute before I had it on correctly. I mounted my horse and wasn't nearly comfortable before Will returned.

"Oy! What do you think you're doing?" he said, with a hint of laughter in his voice. I blushed and looked over to Colin who was smiling. He looked at Will with amusement in his eyes and said, "I'm teaching the yank how to play polo." They both burst out laughing and Will said, "Alright then. Teach, all mighty master." He backed away and sat down on the grass to watch.

"Ok, so I taught you the basics. You'll be aiming for that goal, and I'll be doing the same, but for that goal," he pointed out the opposing goals. "Now then, let's get started." He swung his mallet high in the air and brought it down to meet the ball. The ball shot towards his goal. I looked up in awe and he just gave me a quick smile and was off. I laughed and kicked the sides off my horse to follow him. I was too late though; he scored.

Game play went on like this for about 30 minutes. I scored twice, but he scored ten times against me. We dismounted our mares and carried the equipment back to a storage room. When I went to put the mallet and ball back, Colin stopped me and said, "You keep that. Practice when you get some additional time and we can play again another day."

We walked back out to the polo field and met up with Will. Will shook Colin's hand and turned to me and said, "That was superior for a first timer."

"Thanks. I didn't think I was doing too well, but having the Prince's compliments makes it worth while," I said jokingly. We all laughed and began to walk towards the main road. Eton was a quaint little town, one I had heard very little about. Will and Colin walked me through the school's center, pointing out the various buildings, including the Houses they lived in when they were boys. Manor House for Will and Hopgarden House for Colin. Hopgarden House looked quite a bit nicer, as it was painted a beautiful rusty red color that complimented the various flowers scattering the garden in front of the building, all hidden from the road by a tall brick wall.

The sun was starting to set and my stomach was considerably empty, as I had not had lunch. At the end of the main road in town, after walking past several specialty tailor shops and quaint bistros and cafes, my stomach began growling. But the feeling faded for a moment more when I saw across the river the huge Windsor Castle.

"So that's your's, eh?" I asked Will.

"No." I gave him a disbelieving look before he continued, "It's my grandmother's, but it'll be mine someday. And maybe I can take you and show you around sometime."

"Yeah, that'd be nice. But for now, I need to get back to London and check in at the hotel so I can run off and grab some dinner." I made the motion to shake Will's hand but he spoke up saying, "Why don't you come have dinner with us?"

I almost died. "At the palace? I couldn't - it would be - like, so…oh my gosh! No, I can't. I don't know how to act in a palace." I blushed in embarrassment and Colin was laughing at me.

"It's alright, you're our new friend and it looks like you could do with some more fun," said Will.

"Yea, we can teach you how to act. It's not that hard, but I think you might have some trouble with a curtsy. All the yanks do," Colin said. We all laughed as I tried and almost fell.

"You're just still bitter because we dumped the tea in the bay all those years ago. Don't worry, I forgive you." The guys laughed a bit before looking at me expectantly, waiting for an answer. "Are you sure it's alright? I'm not from England and I'm sure plenty of other girls would be better suited to come for dinner with a Prince and a Lord," I worried out loud. They both looked at each other then made a motion to grab my arms. They caught me and dragged me over to a fancy car. I voiced my defeat and we all got in, conveniently driven by Dash, Will's assistant from the plane.


	4. Chapter 4

Whelp. Here's the 4th chapter all revised. This one took much longer as more was done to it than previous chappies. Hope ya'll like it! As always, I LOVE reviews. So get to it! enjoy!

RiLeY

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Chapter Four

"Ouch," I muttered. Well, the pinch I gave myself hurt – I wasn't dreaming then. I was really entering the gates of Buckingham Palace in a black Maserati, accompanied by a Lord and a Prince. _The_ Prince. The very same who according to CNN a few days ago was to receive his Prince of Wales title from his Grandmother, Queen Elizabeth I, after the news release of his father's terminal illness. I wanted to find out if it was true, but I wasn't about to get kicked to the royal curb for asking such a personal question about a dying father he loves to death. Instead I asked about the tourists, and if they ever bugged the two royals seated comfortably across from me.

"It struck me rather odd when I was a boy. But that soon passed when I spotted a few boys my age trying to push their heads through the rails, and I begged my parents for weeks to be allowed to go out front and let those boys in to play with me. There were no other younger people in the Palace grounds other than myself and a few servants' children. That was until…until-" Will was throwing a furtive glance to Colin who chimed in with the rest of the sentence, as if he'd been waiting for it.

"Until my father decided to go and murder our mother and kill himself." He said it a little too matter of factly for me. But nonetheless, it still shocked me. CNN never mentioned that! Hell, People Magazine never mentioned that, and they're supposed to know everything!!

"It was a long time ago," said Will, trying to make the tragic story seem less than it really was. Then he shot Colin another look, but that one I couldn't really decipher.

"Anyway," Colin continued, "My sister and I came here to live with my Grandmother. Will and I have been best friends since then." Their previous grins were back on their faces again.

"Sorry, but when did this all happen?" I had no clue where I plucked the courage up for that. But I decided to pretend I was completely at ease to ask such a personal question, hoping they'd answer me and not throw me in the dungeons or something.

"I was 9, and Colin was 10," supplied Will.

"Personally, I enjoy the lovely ladies who come around. Can't be bothered with the other royal women. Now that bird's right fit, there." Colin was busy checking out a tanned blond bombshell. Dash was messing with his palm pilot contraption, going down Will's remaining schedule with him. It gave me a chance to fully take in the unreal moment I was experiencing.

We passed through the crowd of tourists lining the gates, snapping shots of the red coat clad guards with the tall funny hats. I made a mental note to make sure I do that before I leave too. Every real tourist needs the essential making-a-goofy-face-next-to-a-palace-guard picture. I wasn't about to miss out!

We drove through the outer wall and into the main courtyard where a guard came and escorted Will to the front door. Before heading off with him, he turned to me and bowed low, excusing himself. Another guard led Colin and I through the door and into a sitting room off the entrance. "Princess Diana will be in to welcome you in a few minutes. She asked that you would make yourselves comfortable." I looked at Colin with a horrified expression.

"Princess Di?! I-I can't meet her!" I cried. Colin laughed at me once more and said, "Why ever not? Will's mother is very kind and will welcome you most graciously. You have nothing to worry about, she'll like you."

He sat down on a couch opposite an exquisite fireplace made of marble. I looked around the room and noticed it was fashioned in a French flair. The curtains were blue with golden thread accents and golden tassels. The wallpaper had fleur-de-lis on them and the furniture resembled 17th century French designs. There were many paintings on the walls with elaborate frames on them. I recognized a few Monets, Daumiers, and even some by the French surrealist, Magritte. I was still looking at Daumier's _Le Wagon de Troisieme Class_ when the Princess of Wales entered the room.

My eyes grew wide and my heart was beating a mile a minute. She was even more beautiful in person. Colin stood up, bowed to her and said, "Aunt Diana, you look lovely." I followed his lead and did another clumsy curtsey and said, "Your Highness." I looked up to see her smiling at me. It was contagious; I stood up and smiled back at her.

"My son has told me he met a young American girl on the plane ride home. He didn't say you were so pretty." I thanked her and blushed a little. She motioned for me to follow her out of the room. I did so and looked back at Colin as we left. He was nodding and smiling at me in encouragement.

"Your name, my dear?" She said. I answered her before she continued her mini interrogation, "So where in the United States are you from?" she asked as she led me up a grand staircase made of stone.

"Orange County, California, Your Highness," I replied as properly as I could while managing to glance at the tapestries on the walls. She and I talked as she led me to an elegant room toward the end of the palace.

I entered the room and almost snorted (very unladylike) at the sight I beheld. The ceilings were very high and had golden designs on them like leaves. The walls were white with more golden accents everywhere. There was a queen bed at the far end with sheer fabric on its canopy. In front of the bed was a small sitting area. To the left of the sitting space, there was a large armoire. To the right of the sitting area, there was a desk between two floor length windows covered in sheer cream-colored curtains. There were hardwood floors and an elegant cream and gold area rug in the sitting area.

"This is where you will be staying, my dear," Princess Diana said after I took in the room.

"Wait, staying? Oh, that's very generous of you, Your Highness, but I already have a room at the Britain Grand."

"Not anymore. You'll be staying with us until you must go to Oxford. My son also told me about your plans for the university," she said once she saw my confused face. "Now, dinner is served at seven and it's already five-thirty. You're bathroom is over there," she pointed to a door to the left of the armoire, "and there are gowns in the armoire. I'll send someone up to help you get dressed and do your hair in thirty minutes."

"Thank you so much, Princess. I can't tell you how much this means to me."

"It was nothing, dear. The ball tonight will last until around midnight. I hope that's not too late."

"Ball? What ball?" No one told me about a ball and I was getting more and more nervous.

"Oh my, didn't William tell you?" she continued after I shook my head, "Well, today is the anniversary of King James's crowning. We always have balls for those sort of occasions." I nodded and she wished me well and left.

I took a warm bath and by the time I had dried my hair, the servant had come to help me. She took one look at me and dashed to the armoire. She pulled out a sleeveless navy blue gown with silver embroidery on the bodice and the bottom of the skirt. I loved it.

She did my brown hair in a half ponytail and curled all the ends. I wouldn't let her do my makeup for fear she would over do it. I ended up just putting on mascara, blue eye shadow, and some clear gloss. She told me where to go when it was time to head to dinner.

Halfway down the hallway, Colin came out of a room. He looked good in a black tux with a blue tie. He looked at me, smiled and said, "Hey, we match. Did you plan it?" I shook my head and he offered me his arm. I took it and laughed.

"Won't the other ladies be jealous of me for walking with you?" He laughed and said, "It's not likely there will be other ladies there. This ball is for Members of Parliament and the monarchy only." I looked at him and then asked curiously, "Then why am I here?"

"Why you're the guest of honor." I smirked, albeit nervously, and walked down the grand staircase and into the main hall. Will was in uniform standing next to the Queen and his mother, talking with a man who looked to me like Tony Blair. Colin must have noticed my excitement because he led us over to the group and introduced me to the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister found it interesting that I wanted to study law at Oxford. We talked for almost thirty minutes before we were called into the dining room. I sat between Colin and a girl around my age. She had curly blond hair and blue eyes. She was very pretty and when she smiled, she lit up the room.

"Colin! How dare you!" the pretty girl next to me yelled at Colin, "Why didn't you introduce me to your new friend?" then she turned to me and said, "Hello, my name is Lucy Jeffries. I'm Colin's younger sister. And you are?"

"I'm Riley Phillips from the United States. It's nice to meet another girl here my age. Colin told me I was going to be the only one here tonight."

"Ah, Colin doesn't consider me a girl. Just his little sister," then she looked at him with narrowed but playful eyes and said, "You know I am only ten months younger than you, you goober."

After a while of chitchatting with the other dinner guests around us, Lucy turned toward me and whispered, "These occasions are such a bore when I have to talk politics and prune juice." That statement jump started our friendship. When all the plates had been cleared away, Will stood and asked everyone to move across the hall and into the ballroom for music and dancing.

When we were walking over, Lucy was giving me tips on how to decline the older men. "It's a process, you see. They ask as politely as they can if you would care to dance. If you find the man repulsive, simply state your reply. If you feel badly for not caring to dance say, 'I'm sorry, but I'm feeling a bit ill' and leave it at that."

Colin interrupted our giggling with, "Are you always this cruel to men, Lucy, or does it come naturally?"

"I'm only mean when I need to be," she replied. Then she whispered in my ear, "Which is almost always."

A band was set up on the far side of the ballroom, which was completely made of wood. Wooden floors, wood paneling, and wooden rafters painted white for the ceiling. I followed Lucy and Will to one side of the room and waited with the other guests for the Queen to enter and for the band to start playing. When the Queen finally came, escorted by her husband, the band started playing some classical music. She and the Duke of Edinburgh did the first dance extravagantly. Then they invited everyone to join in. The band started playing Bach's Double Violin Concerto, one of my favorites. I laughed as Lucy declined a man saying, "I'm sorry, but I'm feeling a bit ill." She looked over to me and smiled, then her eyes moved beyond mine and to the person next to me. I turned around to see who it was.

"Would you care to dance?" said Colin. I looked at Lucy who shrugged her shoulders and smiled. I turned back to Colin and gave him my hand. He led me out into the dancing crowd and he put one hand on my waist and our free hands met. We started whirling around the room to the music. I was glad my mother made me take those ballroom dancing lessons the previous summer in preparation for prom.

"This is one of my favorite songs," I said referring to the Double Violin Concerto the band was playing.

"Really? I like some classical music, but only at calm times. Now Will," he pointed to Will who was dancing with his mother, "he loves classical music." We talked for the rest of the dance and then a woman asked to dance with Colin. I strolled to the side of the room and sat down with Lucy.

"I do believe he fancies you," Lucy said when I reached her.

"Who? Will? Definitely not. Will and I are just friends," I replied to her incredulous statement, although sneaking a quick look to Will, who was speaking with his father and Tony Blair.

"I meant Colin you halfwit!" I quickly glanced to Colin dancing with the other woman. He must've been looking at me because I saw his head move swiftly and he was suddenly very interested in his feet. I smiled at the thought of someone liking me.

"You return his fancy, don't you?" she interrupted my thoughts.

"I don't really know, I hardly know him." I was still watching him when Will walked over and asked Lucy to dance. She kindly accepted. The Prime Minister then asked me to dance and I obliged. We danced for two songs and the whole time we were talking about Oxford.

"You know, I have connections there. I could get you a nice flat and special services if you so wish them," he offered.

"Thank you, Sir. That would be great. I was supposed to look for housing off campus because all the flats were full, but if you can find me one, I'd gladly take it."

"See me before the day is out and I'll give you my card and number to ring me when the time comes."

"Thank you so much! My parents will be ridiculously proud that I befriended the future King of England and the Prime Minister."

"Yes, about that. You may need to take a picture with me or no one would believe your, how do you Americans say it? Ah yes, your 'tall tale'?" We both laughed and danced through one more song, talking about British history.

As the ball died down, I went and sat down with Lucy and faked sick to the other men who asked to dance. We were sipping champagne and talking about what we'd do the next day.

"Have you ever been to the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens?" Lucy asked me.

"No, actually I haven't been anywhere in England except with your brother and Will," I answered.

"Well, I say we take you sightseeing and shopping. And since I'm a Lady, I can get us into the designer places without crowds. I could do the same when we sightsee, but I'll feel bad for the tourists."

"You always had a soft spot for tourists, didn't you Luce?" It was Colin. He looked at me and laughed making me blush a little.

"Oi! At least I have one you nitwit!" Lucy retorted and stared at Colin with an evil eye.

"Hey, I have a soft spot," said Colin starting to grin.

"Yea, your soft spot is Riley." Colin's grin vanished in a heartbeat as Lucy ran off towards the main hallway laughing. Colin looked dumbstruck. He turned to face me, smiled a little and said, "Excuse me. I must go thrash my sister with one of those clubs the suit of armor holds up on the third level." I laughed as he ran to the hallway door and took off.

I was still laughing when Lucy walked back into the ballroom a minute later. She hurried over to me and asked, "Where has he gone?"

"Up to the third floor to 'thrash' you with some club," I said between laughs. Suddenly, Colin appeared in the doorway. "Run!" I yelled to Lucy as Colin raced to her. She ran out a door behind me to a side chamber. When Colin reached me, I grabbed his arm to prevent him from going through the door. He struggled against my grip. I was laughing hysterically because he looked so determined.

He immediately stopped struggling when Will walked over and asked, "What's all this?" I took my hand off his arm instantly and stared at the spot it just covered. I slowly looked up to see Colin's eyes staring at the spot my hand just gripped.

"Uh, nothing's wrong. I have to go find Lucy," was all I said. I looked at Will and curtsied. I backed slowly away with my eyes on Colin's face. He was smiling and his eyes were bursting with laughter. I put my hands behind my back and found the door handle. I swiftly turned the handle, backed into the side chamber, and shut the door with a dry click.


End file.
